Never Too Late to Start: Jens Nielsen’s Journey to Freedom Through Real Estate
This episode features Jens Nielsen—a Danish immigrant who didn’t begin his entrepreneurial journey until his mid-40s and has since built ownership stakes in 2,500+ multifamily and industrial units across the U.S. Jens reveals the mindset shifts required to leave a W-2 career, overcome limiting beliefs, and pursue real estate and business freedom with clarity and intention.
He and Derek take listeners through market realities, the challenges facing today’s multifamily operators, and why mindset—not mechanics—is the real separator between those who dream and those who act. They also dive into coaching, personal vision, and building a business that aligns with the life you want.
How to Navigate Lending, Syndications & Industrial Investing in 2025
In this 37-minute episode, Derek Dombeck sits down with David Hansel, founder of Alpha Funding and Lucerne Capital Partners, for a deep dive into the evolution from single-family flips to commercial and industrial real estate investing. David shares his journey through market cycles, how he built a thriving lending business during the 2008 crash, and how he transitioned into managing over $300M+ in assets through funds and syndications.
You’ll gain first-hand insights into hard money lending, fund management, and small-bay industrial investing — with actionable advice for both new and seasoned investors.
How to Convert Hotels into Apartments (Safely & Profitably)
Derek sits down with Ryan Sudek, CEO of Sage Investment Group, to unpack a repeatable system for converting underperforming hotels/motels into studio apartments—filling an affordability gap while targeting strong returns.
They cover market selection, underwriting, construction (sprinklers, sub-panels, kitchens), property management at 100–200 unit scale, and the capital stack behind Sage’s evergreen fund (quarterly distributions, 1031 within the fund, portfolio diversification). Expect practical detail on risk controls (change-of-use permits before closing, value engineering, local code strategy), tenant quality myths (longer average tenancy than market), and why exterior-corridor assets speed construction. The episode closes with goals (10–15 conversions/year, path to 15k units) and how deals actually reach the team (direct-to-seller, lenders, brokers, 60–70 LOIs out at any time).
Syndications vs. Funds (and SEC Traps): Kevin Kim’s Playbook for Raising Capital the Right Way
Derek sits down with securities attorney Kevin Kim (Fortra Law) to demystify raising capital for real-estate deals—covering when to use a syndication vs. a fund, realistic startup costs, 506(b) vs. 506(c) advertising rules, what actually happens when regulators come knocking, and how note offerings compare to LP/GP fund structures. They also hit modern twists like series LLC funds, why most beginners should avoid tokenization, and a pragmatic outlook for late-2025 across SFR, small multifamily, and shaky commercial sectors. If you raise money (or plan to), this is your compliance-and-strategy cheat sheet straight from a former regulator.
What Is a Capital Stack? Simple Breakdown for Real Estate Investors
Derek sits down with multifamily syndicator Randy Langenderfer to unpack his journey from corporate exec to full-time investor and coach. Randy shares the hard-won lessons from starting as an LP, moving into GP roles, structuring deals that align incentives, navigating the interest-rate shock, and where the next opportunities will likely appear. If you want specific questions to vet sponsors, a clear take on 70/30 PREF vs 80/20 “simple stack,” and a realistic read on distressed deals ahead, this one’s for you.
How to Vet Passive Deals (and Avoid Getting Burned)
Derek sits down with Houston-based investor and capital raiser David Priest to unpack two decades of lessons: surviving the 2008 crash, shifting from transactional work to passive/commercial deals, why operator track record and conservative underwriting beat flashy pro formas, and how to protect yourself in today’s capital stacks (avoid bridge debt, prefer simple structures with LPs directly behind the bank). They also cover buying when others panic, the power of boots-on-the-ground, and a novel principal-protection approach for LPs.
How to Survive a Real Estate Crash in 2025
Derek sits down with David “Dave” Seymour (A&E’s Flipping Boston) for a blunt, no-fluff masterclass on thriving through market cycles. Dave shares his firefighter-to-investor story, the costly lessons behind refis and 2007, how TV fame and hard-money lending actually work, why control of capital beats “cheap” bank money, and the underwriting discipline needed now. They unpack Florida’s boom-bust dynamics, pivoting plays (from land to pickleball to flex), building real networks (and a strict “no-a**hole policy”), and Dave’s 2025–26 plan: scalable education + cherry-picked commercial deals—grounded in faith, family, and service.
Unlocking Billion-Dollar Deals: Thinking Like A Real Estate Titan With Chris Larsen
Calling all real estate rookies! Go beyond bricks and unleash the mindset for multi-billion-dollar real estate ventures in this episode. Chris Larsen joins Derek Dombeck to dive into his journey from medical device sales to commercial real estate investing. Find out about Chris’ early passion for cycling and the pivotal moment that shifted his […]